NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft roll out

An osprey builds a new nest near the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on on March 20, 2026. NASA on March 19 began returning its towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to its Florida launch pad ahead of a planned flyby of the Moon, after completing necessary repairs. Artemis engineers began the maneuver, which can take up to 12 hours, at 8:00 pm eastern, after which the US space agency will begin final preparations before its next launch window opens on April 1. (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP)